


Death Date: N/A

by Substiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Castiel Helps Dean Winchester, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Castiel Saves Dean Winchester, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Dead Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Ghost Dean Winchester, Hunter Castiel (Supernatural), Light Angst, M/M, Warlock Castiel (Supernatural), Young Claire Novak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 12:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Substiel/pseuds/Substiel
Summary: Amelia sought Castiel’s help to find her daughter who has been missing. He and his ghost companion go out to look for her, but the demon who’s possessing her reminds Dean of the time of his death.





	Death Date: N/A

The creaking of the old wooden door alerted Castiel with Dean’s presence before the man himself appeared in front of him. The room grew impossibly cold and Cas grumbled angrily to himself as he grabbed a blanket to wrap up in. Dean loved to do dramatic entrances, hence why the room was reaching to 0. Once that was over with, Cas had to wait for the room to heat up again before he could resume to his work.

“Why do you always have to do that? I can see you.” Cas grumbled and glared up at the ghost who had a grin on his face.

“It’s fun! Plus, I like the attention you give me.” Dean grinned mischievously. He disappeared and reappeared on the couch. He was sprawled out on the cushions and throwing one of Cas’ vials in the air and catching it. If anyone else were here they would be terrified of an item floating in the air. Cas isn’t anyone else though. He was really just annoyed about Dean messing with his things... _again._

“Please put that down unless you want the couch to disappear. _All_ the couches.” Cas glared. He smiled in victory when Dean huffed and placed the vial back. Cas didn’t know why Dean liked to always sit around since he didn’t need to. Ghosts don’t get tired, but Dean always claimed he was.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked when he reappeared next to Cas.

“Working on a spell. A woman came to talk to me about her lost daughter. She wants me to use this,” Cas held up a teddy bear, “to find her. With the right ingredients and measurements, this object will lead me to her.”

“Ooo exciting. Are you done with it?” Dean took the teddy bear from Cas and examined it with a thoughtful look.

“Almost. I just need one more thing. Can you get it for me from the basement? A frog’s leg.” Cas took the teddy bear from Dean’s hands and set it on his desk.

Dean wrinkled his nose. “A frog’s leg? I don’t even want to know.” He shook his head but didn’t deny the warlock’s request. He disappeared from the room and within a blink of an eye he was back with a jar of frog’s legs. He handed it over to Cas with a look of disgust on his face.

“Excellent!” Cas unscrewed the top and took out a single frog leg. He dropped it into the bowl and mixed up the ingredients.

“Okay, curiosity won. Why did you need a frog’s leg?” Dean asked as he watched the warlock mush the ingredients together.

“That’s Claire’s favorite animal.” Cas gestured to the teddy bear when Dean gave him a confused look. “Her mother said she loved frogs and had a pet once. They had to give it away because her father disapproved of it. Very unique.”

“Very weird too,” Dean commented.

“Everyone has different tastes, Dean. If this spell works then Claire and her mother will be reunited.” Cas poured the liquid onto the teddy bear and ignored the bad scent it had. Dean on the other hand gagged and covered his nose.

“This is one of the times I wished you didn’t give me that potion. I forgot how bad certain smells could be.” Dean tracked the teddy bear with his eyes as it floated.

“You wanted to have your senses back, so I get why you wanted that potion.” Cas smiled. He stood up and put his beige trench coat on. He followed the teddy bear out of his cabin and Dean followed after him. The teddy bear floated and sore through the air. Cas had to make a run for it while Dean reappeared whenever Cas was too far. Cas didn’t mind it, he really needed the exercise the job offered once in a while.

“What if the girl is in the other side of the world?” Dean asked after a while.

Cas stopped in his tracks and actually _thought_ about it. Something he hadn’t done before. “I don’t know… Let’s just hope she isn’t.” He frowned then continued on following the teddy bear. Thankfully Claire wasn’t on the other side of the world. She was thirty minutes away from Cas’ cabin. The teddy bear landed on the doormat of a two story house. Dean stayed behind but Cas went up ahead. He grabbed the teddy bear and looked behind himself at Dean who had an unreadable expression on his face.

“Dean?” Cas called out to him and turned around. “Are you coming? What’s wrong?”

Dean blinked and shook his head. “Sorry. Spaced out,” he mumbled and walked up to the front porch. Cas didn’t ask, knowing Dean wouldn’t share whatever was on his mind. The warlock didn’t bother knocking. He waved his hand and used his magic to break the lock of the front door. He pushed it open and walked inside.

Dean was the first to look around and walk through walls to make sure there wasn’t any danger. Once he came back to where Cas was he shook his head. “Nothing. Maybe there’s a basement?” He suggested.

Cas nodded in agreement and went to look for the basement. He knew for a fact that most basement doors always looked sketchy. Just old doors that nobody bothered to replace. That door was behind one of the bookshelves. The books were about lore, Cas noticed. Dean pushed the shelf aside and Cas used his magic to break the multiple locks the door had.

“Creepy.” Dean pointed out when the door opened. They couldn’t see what was up ahead. There was only one way to find out...Dean walked down the stairs first and Cas followed after him. The room was quiet and Cas felt around for the light switch. His hands got covered in spider webs and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming. A powerful warlock being scared of spiders. Dean always took the time to pick on him because of that. His hand touched a lever and he switched on the lights. They illuminated the room and the teddy bear swooshed through the room and landed on the girl’s lap. Claire was unconcious and trapped in the middle of a devil’s trap. She was strapped to a chair and Cas feared she was dead. Maybe the demon was using her body as a meat suit.

“Maybe I can possess her body and kick the demon out?” Dean asked. He walked over to the unconscious body and examined her closely.

“Dean, wait!” But Cas’ warning fell onto deaf ears when Dean possessed the girl’s body. He clenched his hands into tight fists and sighed heavily. He had a bad feeling in his gut. He just hoped Dean would be okay.

Dean appeared outside of a house. He glanced around the area and noticed there was nothing else in sight. It was empty except for the house that must be Claire’s childhood home. He walked inside the house when the door opened easily. Laughter could be heard from down the hallway and Dean followed the sounds that led to the living room. Claire was running around the room while being chased by a man. They had similar features and Dean realized it was her father. He heard Cas talk about her father being dead due to a car accident. She must miss the man deeply to imagine him alive.

The man grabbed Claire and threw her in the air, making her squeal in excitement. “Dad! Put me down.” She squirmed in his grasp and he let her go. She ran towards Dean but stopped short when she finally noticed him. “Oh- hi,” she said softly. “You want to play?”

Dean crouched down to Claire’s height and smiled. “I would love to but we don’t have time.” At her confused face he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Listen to me, you’re a smart girl. You should know this isn’t real.” He glanced at her father. “I’m sorry to say this, but your dad’s dead, and your mom is looking for you. She’s very worried about you.”

Claire looked back at her father and he disappeared. She looked back at Dean with tears in her eyes. “My mom?” She asked with hope in her voice.

Dean nodded. “Yes. She’s waiting at home for you. She wants you to come back.” He engulfed her in his arms and hugged her tightly when she started to sob. Claire clutched him tightly as Dean stood up from the floor. Before he could leave he was thrown against the wall. Claire screamed and he clutched onto her tighter when the demon appeared in the living room.

“She’s mine!” The demon growled and squeezed his fist.

“She’s just a kid!” Dean struggled against the invisible force the demon had on him. Claire stuffed her face against his chest and shook from fear.

“Why do you care?” The demon walked closer to the pair and plucked the girl from his arms. She screamed and scrambled to get away but the demon pulled her hair and she stopped. She sobbed quietly into her hands but the demon ignored her. His main focus was on Dean who was powerless. The demon smirked as if hinting at something he knew that Dean didn’t.

“Look, just let her go. You can have me.” Dean pleaded with the creature.

The demon ignored Dean’s pleas and threats. “Do you know who owns this house? You know, I’ve heard of you before. The poor man who was shot to death in this very house. You were _the_ Dean Winchester. The hunter everyone feared. I had to make a trap for you once I knew you weren’t in hell.” The demon grinned.

Flashes of memories played out in front of Dean but they were too foggy to comprehend. He couldn’t remember his own death. Cas tried to help him with that, but that always resulted in him going rogue. That’s why he never did it again. They both feared Dean wouldn’t come back from it. That’s what the demon was trying to do; he was trying to push Dean’s buttons.

“No! Stop it. I don’t want to remember.” Dean shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to think about other things. The good things he did as a ghost. He tried to think about Cas and all the times they shared together, but the demon’s voice was too loud.

“Her name is Gwen Campbell. Your _own_ cousin, Dean. She’s the one who has Claire strapped to a chair right now. She’s planning on killing her, you know. The same way she killed you. Three shots to the chest.” The demon made a gun with his hand and pointed it towards the girl. “BAM!” He shouted, making Claire jump and cry even harder.

“Stop it!” Dean screamed and fell from the wall. He covered his ears and shook his head forcefully. The memories of that night came back to him, and all he could do was cry. He focused on his sadness instead of the rage that had built up. He didn’t want to be a vengeful spirit that sought revenge. He couldn’t be. He would never come back from it.

Cas would have to kill him for good. Light up the keys to the impala on fire, but the memory unfolded itself in front of him. His death was clear as day.

_Dean had broken into Gwen’s house to warn her about the demons that were going to invade this town. The creatures had found them and were planning on making a move. Dean and Gwen were going to move out of here and find a new place to hideout in. Maybe head over to Bobby’s house until the demons lost their trail. He knew their main target was him. They were looking for the murderer of their master; Azazel._

_The hunter looked around frantically and called out Gwen’s name._

_They had met through his mother before she died. They became a great team together but he and Gwen drifted apart when Mary died during a vampire attack. Despite their past he still cared for Gwen deeply, and he had to warn her about the demons before they could get to her. He didn’t know what he would do if they had killed her._

_Dean looked through every room in the house until he found Gwen in the kitchen. Her back was facing him and when he walked closer he noticed the gun in her hand. In one fluid moment, Gwen turned around and shot three bullets into his chest. Dean gasped in surprise and hardly registered the pain when he slumped against the wall. He looked up at her with betrayal in his eyes and coughed out blood. “Why?” He asked weakly and all at once, the pain came tumbling down. He groaned loudly and gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up from the wall but it was getting difficult when the bullets moved inside of him and blood was oozing out of his wounds._

_“A deal’s a deal.” Gwen merely replied right before three demons appeared in the kitchen with her. They here for him. They were here to drag him to hell. His vision started to get blurry and dark spots flooded his vision._

Dean was back to the present, shaking from experiencing his own death again. He felt it the moment Gwen pulled the trigger three times. Those bullets breaking the skin and puncturing his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe. All that rage and pain inside him made him think of one thing; killing Gwen. First, he had to get this demon out of Claire.

“Get! Out!” Dean ran towards the demon and tackled him to the floor. Both of them were sucked out of Claire’s body and the demon’s black smoke filled the room. Cas chanted out a spell and the demon screeched before being sucked into a box that was filled with other demons. All the demons Dean and Cas hunted down.

Cas ran over to Claire and untied the bounds from her wrists and ankles. He cupped her face and healed all the wounds she had on her lithe body. Claire opened her tired green eyes and Cas sighed in relief. They saved Amelia’s daughter. He helped her out of the chair and guided her to the stairs. A scream could be heard from the living room and Cas ran on instinct.

The owner of the house had returned and she was clutching an iron bar with both her hands. Cas was about to call out to her when Dean came rushing through him, knocking him off his feet. Cas landed on the floor with a groan and sat up, wincing at the shot of pain that went through him. When he turned his attention to the woman she was pinned against the wall by Dean who...didn’t look normal at all.

The warlock had seen this before in Dean. A vengeful spirit who wanted nothing but to kill the person who was responsible for their death. Dean’s clothes were shredded, three gaping holes formed in his chest, and his eyes were pure white. The furniture moved by itself and a table crashed against the wall, startling Claire who in return, screamed. She hid behind Cas and the warlock wrapped his arms around her. He searched his pockets for something...anything.

Dean closed his fist around her throat and lifted her off the ground. He blocked out her windpipe, making her gurgle and gasp. He threw her around like a ragdoll and landed a few powerful kicks on her that sent her flying across the room.

Cas came up with nothing that would help Dean. He wished he had thought about this sooner. Any sort of trigger would send Dean in a rage. He unwrapped his arms around Claire and stood up, ignoring her whimpers. He wouldn’t let his friend go over the edge.

“Dean!” Cas called out, placing himself in between the ghost and the woman. He held out his hands to assure him he wasn’t a threat. Dean looked dead. Nothing like the cheerful man who annoyed Cas every hour of the day. No, he was a true ghost, and he was out for the kill. “Listen to me…” he whispered. “Listen to my voice.” His hand moved slowly and it stopped when Dean flickered. “I’m just trying to touch you. Can I touch you?” He asked gently with his hand held out.

At Dean’s nod, Cas placed his finger on Dean’s arm. The ghost stayed motionless and Cas curled his hand around his arm. “Good,” he whispered. “It’s going to be okay, Dean. Just come back to me. Come back. I’m not going to let you cross that line.” He stared into those soulless eyes and took a step forward. Dean said nothing. He was still staring at the unconscious woman behind Cas. “Look at me.” He touched Dean’s cheek and turned his head. “Remember me? Do you remember when we first met?”

Dean focused on Cas and nodded slowly. That made Cas smile and sigh in relief. “Focus on that memory, Dean. Focus.”

_Cas felt a powerful energy coming from the 67’ Chevy Impala and he was drawn to it. He walked over to the broken down vehicle and placed a hand on the hood. “Beautiful,” he whispered and looked inside. He spotted the keys that were on the seat and wondered who had left this car here. He opened the car door and sat down in the driver’s seat. He grabbed the keys and examined the key chain. A key chain from Kansas City._

_While he was distracted he could see something in the corner of his eye, a man staring straight ahead and he turned to look at him. He wasn’t startled from his presence. He sensed the energy and figured some poor soul was still here, attached to the car or to the keys. The man didn’t say or do anything. His expression was unreadable._

_“Hello, I’m Castiel.” He greeted himself with a smile. “What’s your name?” The man didn’t move for a while until finally, he lifted his hand and pointed at the initials carved into the car. Cas followed the direction and read the two letters_ **_D.W._ ** _“I hope you’ll tell me what that stands for in the future.”_

_Cas inserted the key in the ignition and started up the car. The ghost was still silent when Cas drove the car back to his cabin._

Slowly but surely, Dean’s appearance started to turn back to normal. The wounds in his chest were gone, his clothes were clean, and his eyes were back to their normal green. Cas always loved that color. Maybe it was because of Dean’s eyes. He didn’t know, but it was always a beautiful color to wake up to. He closed his eyes and sighed quietly. It was okay. They were going to be okay. When he opened his eyes Dean was staring at him with a look of wonder. Cas smiled and wrapped his arms around him tightly, never wanting to let go.

Cas wasn’t easily scared. He could fight off a million demons and ghosts if he wanted to. He would do it, but the only things that did scare him were spiders and nearly losing his only friend. He pulled away and smiled up at him with pride. He really was proud of Dean. He remembered himself and came back from the edge. They were going to talk about it, but right now, Cas needed to take care of the job.

Claire was returned safely to his mother Amelia who paid Cas 500 dollars. He was surprised but Amelia had to explain to him it was the reward and with Dean’s persuading he kept the money. He still had his needs such as food and water reminded by his ghost. He was glad someone was there to take care of him.

Meanwhile, Gwen Campbell was sent to prison for the murder of Dean Winchester. None of the hunters wanted to do anything with her because she killed one of the best hunters in the community. Cas had to wipe out her memory of seeing Dean as a ghost or that would raise too many red flags in the hunting community. Especially since Cas was a very respected and trustworthy warlock. Who knows what would happen if they found out about Dean. Cas didn’t want to think about that.

They returned to Cas’ cabin and Dean was extremely quiet throughout the walk. He stood by Cas’ side all the way back. Once they were in the comfort of their own home Dean heavily sat down on the couch. Cas took off his trench coat and sat down next to Dean.

“Are you okay?” Cas asked in concerned.

“Yeah. I’m okay now,” Dean replied, and Cas believed him. “I’m sorry I scared you and the girl.” He frowned.

“I wasn’t scared because you became a vengeful spirit. I was scared of losing you.” Cas placed his hand over Dean’s and curled their fingers together. “I didn’t want to lose you. I was hoping I could get you back before you killed Gwen, and I did get you back. I was relieved.” He laid his head on Dean’s shoulder. “I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.” Dean laid his head on top of Cas’. They stayed curled up against each other. It was nice to have each other’s warmth and Cas was glad for the potion. He had a solid body next to him even if that body belonged to a ghost. Cas could never imagine life without him anyway.

Cas looked up at Dean with a small smile on his face only to see the man staring back at him. They looked into each other’s eyes and as if in a trance, leaned in to share their first kiss. Cas melted against Dean and sighed happily. Once their kiss was over he ducked his head and felt his cheeks heat up. He was flustered from their kiss and nuzzled against Dean’s side to shield his burning face.

Dean didn’t say anything. He just curled an arm around Cas and pulled him closer. This was fine right now. They could talk another time, and figure out how this odd relationship could work. Cas did really love Dean, and he hoped Dean shared the same feelings. He received his answer when Dean kissed his forehead and held him until he fell asleep from exhaustion.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments keep me going, so please leave some. :) Anything is fine. Your love for my works gives me motivation to write more.


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